Kansas City School of Law - Pandex Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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1 mm-1 Iwlfm 1-I Xlusf--uri Supremo l.Hl1l'l 1 x Ilfm,l'l:xNc1s Xl. Iimuus, IXAIIXIW Lltx' bull-nfl ul l.:ux -5-

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. 5 Hon. James Slierman Botsford. l,vft111't'1' on I3 Mr. James Sherman Botsford has been a member of the faculty of the Kansas City School of Law since 1905 in the ca- pacity of lecturer on Equity .lurispru- dence. Mr. Botsford was born June 10, 1844, near Waukesha, Wisconsin. His parents were from Oneida county, New York, He comes from a hardy and long-lived race, His grandmother lived to be ninety-five years of age, and his mother was eighty- seven years of age at her death in 1907. He was educated in the common and high schools of Wisconsin and of Illinois. Hc was only seven years old at the time ofthe death of his father, and at fourteen years of age he left home and began to rely wholly on his own efforts and indus- try. At the beginning: of the Civil war he left school and enlisted in the army as a member of the Fifth Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers. He served in the Army of the Potomac under McClelland, Burn- sitlcs, Hooker, Meade and Grant until the battle of the Wilderness, in which he was severely wounded in the right shoul- der. After lying in an army hospital for several weeks he was honorably dis- charged on account of his wounds. This was in September, 1364. He then returned to his studies at school. Later he studied law and was ad- mitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Illinois in INCH. quit -4 x' f111'i.vfu'1lz1U11t'v. He moved to Sedalia. Missouri. in the same year, and began the practice of law. ln 1870, he was city attorney of Sedalia. and in 1871 was appointed by President Grant United States District Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, which office he held until 1877, residing in the meantime at Jefferson City, Mis- souri. During his term of office as United States District Attorney. he prosecuted the whiskey ring for frauds against the internal revenue laws of the United States, and obtained the first convictions that were ever secured in those famous trials. In 1879 he removed to Kansas City and entered the general practice of the law in partnership with the late M. T. C. XVil- liams. ln 189.5 he became the senior member of the firm of Botsford, Deatheie age 8: Young-now Botstord, Deatherage, Young QQ Creason. Mr. Botsford has be-on engaged in many important law suits, and has had an ex- tensive and wide experience as a practi- tioner. l-Ie is considered by the legal pio- fession of this city as one of the best read lawyers at the Kansas City bar, and one whose legal lore is based upon a well grounded knowledge of the elementary principles of the law, aided and strength- ened by a full knowledge of tht- modern decisions and principles nvct-ssary to meet modern conditions.

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School History .i ,--, . ' l l ' t ' f . atio is written in the Afgxwkfa T has bee11 said- that tie llS o1y o 1 ll .11 . 'I 71 . h no Q . F., lllOgl'Z-lplly of 1ts great men. and a school 15 a piox mce vi nc lyk? has its 1ne11 upon XVllO1U hangs its fate and turns in the bal- W M ance its success or failure. A h 7 - f F5 I l1ave always considered It one ot tl1e most fortunate ' '30, 4 edt-' , M +A- circumstances for the Kansas City School of Law that judge Francis M. Black was associated with us so long and so inti- mately. After a long service upon the Supreme bench of Missouri. he returned to his private practice only a short time before we organized the law school. and it was but natural to turn to him to serve as our president. judge Black's fame as a lawyer a11d jurist did us a vast amount of good, but better even than this was his association with the faculty and the boys in the class room. He fairly hammered the law into his students, and never let up until they thoroughly understood the subject under discussion. There are many interesting diversions which break the monotony of the regular work, and I remember of the judge relating an experience soon after we started the school. VVhile lecturing upon the subject of Sales, the judge asked a student. What is a chose li1'L action? The lawyer in embryo looked somewhat dazed, so the judge said: Suppose that a passenger was standing O11 the plat- form of a car. and the conductor pushed him off-what would that be? The studentls face lighted up, but still somewhat dubious, he inquired, A'XVas the car standing still or moving P The judge. always giving encouragement. said: 'Let us suppose that the car was movingfy XYell, then, said tl1e stu- dent entirely satisfied, if the car was in motion. then he would have a clznxv in action. I judge Black was one of tl1e original organizers of the school in 1895. and was from that time president, and a regular lecturer until the time of his death in 1902. Hon. O. H. Dean was the successor of judge Black, he being elected in june, 1902, which position he still holds. and a 111ore worthv successor to judge Black could 11ot be found. V Mr. Sanford B. Ladd joined the school shortly after its organization. and his splendid work has done much to build up the school. V Many of our most prominent jurists and lawyers have lectured in and been 1dent1f1ed w1tl1 the school. -5-